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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. lean — to bend
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bark — to shout
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bass — the fish
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. fork — in a road
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. lean — thin
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bass — low music
  24. fork — to eat with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com